Scandalous Submission Guidelines

 

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Scandalous is a historical category romance imprint of Entangled Publishing. We’re looking for stories set between 900 and 1949, anywhere from the lush hills of Ireland, Regency England, Prohibition Chicago…or even the Viking age. These stories are bold, sexy, and heartfelt, and can be funny, action-packed, mysterious, or dramatic. They should be between 60-70k words. Stories need a romantic trope and an alpha hero at their core.

Specifically, we want:

  • Quality, well-researched story-telling
  • Authors who aren’t afraid to push creative boundaries
  • Prolific authors who can write three to four books a year are a plus
  • Time periods: 900–1949
  • Heroines who are age 17+, confident, and can be unconventional (a scientist, for example).
  • Stories that feature an alpha male, whether he be the captain of a ship, royalty, a military hero, or a warrior
  • Time travel welcome but alternate/manipulation of history cannot be the focal point
  • Although we are not a paranormal line, stories may contain light paranormal elements.
  • Active, dialogue-rich stories, with a minimum of narrative and navel-gazing, but firmly ground the reader in the setting and culture
  • Emotional depth depicted through strong conflict, theme, symbolism, and sub-text
  • Stories focused on the heroine and hero falling in love
  • Sensual stories, but the heat level should grow organically from the characters, their situations and emotions. We are not looking for erotica, and closed door is also fine on occasion. Though the heat level may be sweet, the sexual tension must be strong
  • Manuscripts must be 60-70K words in length
  • Revised backlist titles will be considered on a case-by-case basis
  • We accept agented and un-agented submissions, although agented submissions will receive first priority in the slush pile

 

Of Particular interest at this time:

  • Stories set during the Prohibition—urban (Chicago, New York, Harlem, etc.) and rural (western, prairie, farm) are both welcomed.
  • Stories set in WWI and WWII
  • Multi-cultural protagonists
  • Gothic romance—brooding heroes, virginal ingénues, and shadowed estates full of secrets please!
  • Love is love—Scandalous does not discriminate against our characters based on their sexuality—gay protagonists are welcome. The heat level qualifications are the same as for heterosexual romance and the story must focus on the characters falling in love, not the erotic content of their sex scenes

 

To submit a manuscript for consideration, please use the following link:

Submit to Scandalous